Page 16 - 2019 OctoberEnammelled Jewels Sotheby's Hong Kong

fig. 1
Beijing enamelled falangcai pouch-shaped glass vase decorated with chilong, black enamel mark and period of Qianlong, two views
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 15th November 1988, lot 77
Collection of Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong

ones of such complex shape, there appear to be no other vessels Archival Records of the Qianlong Period on Glass Objects’, which
that could similarly document the true capability of the imperial among its hundreds of glass items, contains references to only
craftsmen working in this medium. three further pieces of falangcai glass: a small water pot and two
snuff bottles (Zhang Rong, op.cit., pp. 44-55 and 74-83). The rarity
No comparable pieces have been preserved in the Palace Museums,
of falangcai glass is of course largely explained by the complexity of
either in Taipei or Beijing. A recent exhibition of Chinese glass in the
the production process. According to the National Palace Museum
National Palace Museum, Taipei, included 45 falangcai enamelled
exhibition catalogue “each colour of enamel is applied separately
pieces, 38 of them snuff bottles (two without stopper called vases,
and fired successively at the temperatures required for each
but also of snuff bottle size and shape) and the other seven pieces
colour, with a view to bond the enamel décor to the glass body.
comprising a pendant, a miniature spittoon and five small vases,
Because the melting point of glass is close to that of enamel, the
only two of them slightly larger, at 13.1 cm and 16.3 cm, respectively
glass vessel-body can easily melt and deform if firing temperature
(Zhang Xiangwen, ed., Ruo shui cheng hua. Yuan cang boli wenwu
is too high, while enamel cannot take on the desired colour if firing
tezhan/Limpid Radiance. A Special Exhibition of Glass Artifacts
temperature is too low” (Zhang Xiangwen, op.cit., p. 178).
from the National Palace Museum Collection, National Palace
Museum, Taipei, 2017, cat. nos 193-237). According to Zhang Rong, The companion bottle, now in the Hong Kong Museum of Art, is
only 20 falangcai glass pieces are in the collection of the Palace decorated with twelve dragons diving through dense composite
Museum, Beijing, all snuff bottles except two small vases, 9.8 cm floral scrolls, and at first glance both pieces would seem to be
and 8.5 cm tall (Zhang Rong, ed., Guangning qiushui. Qing Gong complementary. Yet they were not necessarily meant as a pair.
Zaobanchu boli qi/Lustre of Autumn Water. Glass of the Qing Both are enamelled in matching colours on a similar lemon-yellow
Imperial Workshops, Beijing, 2005, p. 20, and cat. nos 84-93). ground onto the same, or very similar, white glass blanks, and both
have the reign mark inscribed on one of the flowers. However, the
The order of ‘brocade-bundle-shaped’ vases listed in the Zaobanchu
companion bottle is painted with chi dragons rather than the long
records is also included in Peter Lam’s extensive ‘Selection of

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